Friends of Carrie ‘held Downing St Winner Takes It All Abba party’ on day Dominic Cummings quit
...and as Boris STILL awaits Partygate report, is that why maverick ex-aide is so vengeful?
THE senior civil servant investigating Partygate has taken evidence about a ‘Winner Takes It All’ Abba party to mark the resignation of Dominic Cummings, The Mail on Sunday has been told.
It is understood that as part of her inquiry into socialising in Boris Johnson’s No10 flat, Sue Gray has been told about a ‘victory party’ held by friends of the Prime Minister’s then fiancee Carrie Symonds on the night of November 13, 2020, after Mr Cummings had left with his belongings in a box.
He had allegedly lost a power struggle with Ms Symonds and other advisers.
‘There was the sound of lots of banging and dancing and drinking, and a number of Abba tracks – including a triumphalist Winner Takes It All,’ a source said.
The party was first reported by The Mail on Sunday two days later – although it was not then known about the Abba tracks.
A spokesman for Mrs Johnson said: ‘It is totally untrue to suggest Mrs Johnson held a party in the Downing Street flat on November 13, 2020.’
The Metropolitan Police could now investigate the party as part of its probe, and call on Mrs Johnson to provide written evidence.
Last week the Metropolitan Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick announced officers have launched a criminal inquiry after assessing a dossier of evidence compiled by Ms Gray. The police inquiry will reportedly focus on eight out of 17 parties looked at by Ms Gray.
The force then clarified it was looking at potential Covid breaches that are dealt with by fixed-term penalty notices.
It is understood that the Prime Minister’s wife has not been interviewed by Ms Gray’s inquiry or approached by the police.
Mr Cummings resigned as Mr Johnson’s de facto chief of staff after losing the alleged power struggle with Mrs Johnson. He has previously claimed there was a ‘party’ in the Downing Street flat on the night of his departure.
Civil servants in the building at the time were advised by officials to go to the Downing Street flat to apologise for not sufficiently supporting the Prime Ministhen-fiancee. ‘They were ordered to go up and kiss the ring,’ one said.
It comes as a former senior policeman suggested Downing Street staff who have been interviewed by Ms Gray could retract their testimony. Former chief superintendent Dai Davies, who was in charge of Royal Protection, told the Daily Mail: ‘Now it’s a legal quagmire. Anyone who has spoken to her inquiry could retract their evidence, arguing they did not know it could be used against them in a criminal inquiry.’
Sources said this was possible but any change of evidence would likely be sent directly to the police, rather than Ms Gray amending her report. A source close to Ms Gray’s inquiry said the evidence she presented to police should be seen as a ‘starting point’.
The Met Police said suspects will be asked to give written evidence as part of its inquiry, which appeared to undermine reports the Prime Minister could be interviewed under caution.
Ms Gray’s long-awaited report is expected to be submitted to the Prime Minister within days.
The Met is under fire for its ‘farcical’ handling of Partygate. After first refusing to investigate, last week it announced a criminal inquiry days before the Sue Gray report was due to be published – and asking her to make ‘minimal references’ to parties at the centre of the row.
Former Supreme Court justice Lord Sumption said the police had ‘no legal right to demand that Sue Gray delay publication of her report and it is constitutionally undesirable that they have done so’.
Meanwhile, speculation mounted over an expected leadership contest to replace Mr Johnson, should he be deposed. Yesterday Tom Tugendhat became the first Conservative MP to declare his intention to run in a leadership contest.
Asked in a Times Radio interview which will air today whether he would like to be Prime Minister, the Tonbridge & Malling MP said: ‘It would be a huge privilege.’
He added: ‘It’s up to all of us to put ourselves forward. And it’s up to the electorate, in the first case parliamentary colleagues, and in the second case the party, to choose.’
The former soldier added: ‘There isn’t a vacancy at the moment’, and insisted he had not been canter’s
‘Lots of banging and dancing and drinking’
vassing support. Jeremy Hunt, the former Foreign Secretary who came second to Mr Johnson in the 2019 leadership contest, recently said his ambition to be leader had not ‘completely vanished’.
Chancellor Rishi Sunak and Foreign Secretary Liz Truss are expected to be the frontrunners in a contest, with other potential contenders including Defence Secretary Ben Wallace, Home Secretary Priti Patel, Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi and former Defence Secretary Penny Mordaunt.
A No10 spokeswoman said last night she could not comment on the Gray inquiry.